FB helps elderly rekindle old flames

In your 50s and miss your old flame? You could probably try your luck on Facebook as a survey suggests many senior British people are already searching for girlfriends of their younger days on the social networking site. The survey from the Britain-based Silversurfers.com, the website for the over 50s, found that one in six Britons over the age of 50 are logged on to Facebook to find old flames and upload selfies to show how well they have aged, the Daily Mail reported.

Nearly half of the people over 50 on Facebook think they will use the site more and more as this will help them stay in touch with their girlfriends. “Over 3,000 people completed our survey and the message is clear: Facebook is king of social media for the over-50s,” Martin Lock, CEO of Silversurfers.com, was quoted as saying.

“Our research also revealed that the over-50s use Facebook to check out old flames and show off,” he added. The survey also revealed that the most popular type of Facebook posts for people over the age of 50 are nostalgia, human interest photos and handy tips.

Nearly 81 per cent said that they check Facebook more than once a day while 37 per cent stated that they often check what friends are up to on Facebook. Being comfortable using Facebook will help older people stay connected to their families and friends and may help alleviate loneliness in later years, the findings showed. Facebook is by far the most popular social networking site — among others such as Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Google+ for people over the age of 50, it said.